Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus that leapt from pigs to
humans in 2009, triggering a global pandemic, reminded us of the need to
monitor animals such as pigs that can host the development of dangerous
viral strains.

A study published today re-emphasizes that need. Young-Ki
Choi at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, South Korea, and his
colleagues have isolated a new strain of H1N2 influenza from Korean pigs
that kills infected ferrets — the model animal of choice for influenza
work — and can spread through the air[1].
-snip-

Pandemic potential

Choi wanted to assess the pandemic potential of Korean
strains. His team tested two H1N2 and two H3N2 viruses isolated from pig
abattoirs before the 2009 pandemic. Most of these viruses did not cause
any signs of serious disease in ferrets.